Madisonville looking for special arts designation

After several communities in the parish were designated cultural districts earlier this year, Madisonville residents are ready for their piece of the pie.

In October, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu deemed Lacombe, Old Mandeville, Olde Towne Slidell, Abita Springs and downtown Covington cultural districts.

The designations are part of an initiative he proposed last year that eliminate local and state sales tax on any original, one of a kind, art piece sold in the designated district. The designation also provides significant tax breaks on the restoration of historic buildings 50-plus years old.

Madisonville, a town of nearly 700 people on the heels of celebrating its bicentennial, currently has eight sites on the National Register of Historic Places, the most of any St. Tammany Parish community, all of which date back well over 50 years.

One of the oldest structures, the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse, dates back to 1838, when it was first established.

Art for Madisonville, a nonprofit organization formed earlier this year, along with local residents Gail Perry, Susan Kierr and others, is spearheading the application process.

According to the lieutenant governor’s office, a community must meet several criteria to be approved as a cultural district, Perry said, adding she and other community members believe their town meets all of the requirements to become a cultural district.

“It has to be distinguished by cultural resources that play a vital role in the community,” Perry said. Madisonville has plenty of those resources, Perry said, including museums, art markets, festivals that feature art and several historic buildings that could use the tax breaks for restoration.

“We’ve always attracted a number of artists, but we’ve never capitalized on it,” Perry said, adding Madisonville would also be able to advertise itself as a certified cultural district if approved.

The review process will likely take several months before they will know if they’ve been approved, Perry said.